Blog - Art & Style

Nurturing Creativity

I have been in a period of creative "rest", or perhaps procrastination is a better way to describe it. At times it happens that no matter what I try, I just can't seem to be productive, do anything creative, let alone think creatively. I guess creativity needs a break from time to time! It's commonly referred to as a creativity block. And while it's good to know that I'm not alone, it is still annoying because I feel out of steam right at the time when I should be at my peak. This bug appears out of the blue, much like catching a cold on a hot summer day. And it can turn someone who is normally full of ideas and appetite for intellectual discovery all of a sudden into indifferent and uninspired? It really caught me by surprise. Creativity is coming back, though. Slowly. Thank God! I was starting to doubt myself. Creativity needs discipline, just like exercising your body or learning how to speak a language. Sometimes creativity comes in the form of a spontaneous game while most of the times it requires rigorous attention. What I am trying to say is that a creative block does happen, and I have learned to spot the symptoms and take good care of myself so as to re-tap into the pool of creativity. Creative people, please remember you need to nurture your creativity.

"Being in balance is to know when you are out of balance" is a catchphrase I recently came across, and it is so true, on all levels, physically and emotionally. There's a reason why something doesn't work. The point is not to dwell on finding the answer, but to realize that there is something going on that has pushed you off track. Try to take a step back and basically start it over again in the way that it has previously worked for you. Adapting, changing, modifying is all part of the game. Creativity doesn't let itself be forced. In my personal experience, a creativity block has a lot to do with overload: too much input of information and ideas, inappropriate filtering, and little time to turn input into output. It is also about the span of focus and emotional distraction.

Emotions and feelings are paramount in turning on the creativity bulb. Perhaps that's why creative people are so easily prone to worry and concern. Letting emotion in just enough to get the creative juices flowing while keeping it at a stress-free level, is a difficult balancing act. Having feelings is not a flaw; on the contrary, it is how one would evolve and become integrated -- well, at the risk of being broken down or going astray before being rebuilt and renewed. I used to choose to look the other way, ignoring feelings and suppressing emotions. But I learned it is better to be honest to myself, to how I feel. Even if that means being vulnerable. Emotion or feeling doesn't block the road to bustling creativity. It is my thinking about feeling and emotion that throws me off guard.

I was standing on a crossroad, stuck between walls, sunk deep below the ocean. But now I am letting past feelings and emotions come to the surface. They need to be pondered over before I can move forward. I am not my feelings, but I simply allow emotions run through me, contemplating them, and helping me to take care of myself as a guide through the vast universe of creativity.